tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post4381447730888031712..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: The two big winners last week: Joe Biden and Steve KornackiBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70616853161758625102020-11-11T11:25:40.622-08:002020-11-11T11:25:40.622-08:00I turned off the tV at 7 pm ET, didn't see onl...I turned off the tV at 7 pm ET, didn't see online news either. went to bed at 10 ET. Woke at 5:30 a.m. and caught djt's first of many meltdownsRoger Owen Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05298172138307632062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51377502546300003112020-11-10T18:30:14.420-08:002020-11-10T18:30:14.420-08:00Back in '17, there was a joke going around:
&...Back in '17, there was a joke going around:<br /><br />"Remember - if anything happens to Mitch McConnell, Trump becomes President!"<br /><br />In fact, when McConnell became GOP Senate Boss, he became the most powerful man in DC.<br />And that happened while Obama was still President.<br />You know, the Merritt Garland thing.<br />Followed by not letting <i>any</i> of Obama's Federal bench appointments through.<br />Mitch was clearing the decks for a GOP President - <i>any GOP President</i> - to pack the Federal bench with youngish, right-wing hardliners, giving them lifetime seats.<br />Trump benefitted from the less-than-compelling competition, won the nomination, and used Hillary Clinton's edginess against her - and there you are.<br /><br />If Moscow Mitch is still in charge when Biden takes office, he becomes in effect the shadow President: Biden won't get any appointee through unless McC deigns to let it go - and does anybody want to give me an over-under on <i>THAT?</i>Mike Doranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14427528138598549103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70633615722066030872020-11-10T17:08:05.756-08:002020-11-10T17:08:05.756-08:00I wish I could feel good about the election, but t...I wish I could feel good about the election, but the way I see it, it was a victory for the Republican Party, which picked up seats in the House and kept control of the Senate. This was just barely a repudiation of Trump, despite the horror of his administration and his obvious shortcomings as a leader and as a human.<br /><br />I expect the Democratic leadership will take control of the runoff elections in Georgia, and with their usual ineptitude will ensure that the Senate remains in Republican hands.Frederic Aldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16092073035980930082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59587078036853976842020-11-10T13:10:00.958-08:002020-11-10T13:10:00.958-08:00Kornacki is the nerd in High School who got a girl...<i>Kornacki is the nerd in High School who got a girlfriend.</i><br /><br />Ken as others have already mentioned, Kornacki is famously gay. Futhermore not only did he <b>NOT</b> have a girlfriend but as pointed out in this famously self written piece<br /><br />https://www.salon.com/2011/11/16/the_coming_out_story_i_never_thought_id_write/<br /><br />He never even dated for the first 30 years of his life as he was so worried about being outed and all the more miserable for it. So no partner in high school, college, or the first ten years of his career as a matter of fact.<br /><br />But I suppose this is why you get paid the big bucks to write fiction.Poochienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31785535896695911012020-11-10T09:59:07.287-08:002020-11-10T09:59:07.287-08:00I had an almost identical series of reactions to t...I had an almost identical series of reactions to things as you did. I kept refreshing the interactive map election night until my husband led me off the computer and out of the room. And yes, the speeches reminded me of how things are supposed to be. President-elect Biden was, well, Presidential, embracing all Americans and promising to look out for even the Americans who didn't vote for him (we didn't think anyone had to say that until a certain someone decided he wouldn't). Vice-President-elect Harris made history and was awesome in how she did it.<br /><br />I do wish we'd turned the Senate because Sen. McConnell is feeling empowered and being the hypocritical toady he's always been, only worse. We need a Majority leader who leads rather than obstructs. Oh, well.<br /><br />By Thursday I was breathing almost normally.Tudor Queenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03544142728842449527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6505046980051707252020-11-10T03:14:23.560-08:002020-11-10T03:14:23.560-08:00Being Christian, I prayed a great deal and I asked...Being Christian, I prayed a great deal and I asked that Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris would win and my prayers were answered. Were I a BETTER Christian, I wouldn't have had a nagging headache and raised pulse for the week of the election.<br /><br />It forced me to (eventually) stop looking at the news channels and...my headache went away!<br /><br />This cycle, the Biden campaign did several things that I was happy to see:<br /><br />- Biden told you where he stood in his ads, as opposed to most of the Hillary Clinton ads, which merely pointed at Trump and said, "Will you look at him?". She tried a milder tactic in the primaries against then-Senator Obama with the "3AM Phone Call" ad.<br /><br /> - They raced until the end, even in my state of Georgia. It was nigh on impossible to find Clinton yard signs, stickers or pokemons here because they (and much of the press) figured, "This is in the bag".<br /><br /> - The major tactic was "Let him rave" and instead of emboldening Trump's accusations, they let them fall to the ground, which was not hard to do, considering that Trump had close to no newspaper endorsements and Biden picked up some surprising ones, including USA Today, which heretofore had NEVER endorsed a candidate.<br /><br />Thank you, Ken Levine for a great post, Elf for cracking me up and to all the Jim S. out there who kept watch.<br /><br />Here are two sobering notes:<br /><br />1. For those who laughed at the "Four Seasons" fiasco, remember how hard you laughed at the 2015 "Escalator Announcement" of Trump and look how that ended. It's delusional, but he has the weight of the AG and the DOJ behind him, whether it be for support or kissing.<br /><br />2. Before we get too puffed up about Kamala Harris and how very modern we are, Sirimavo Bandaranaike was elected Prime Minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1960 and this was the first of her three terms. We thought we were hot stuff by electing a man who was Catholic (like THAT'll ever happen again!:)<br /><br /><br />3. This was the highest turnout for a presidential election in the USA since 1908 and...it would have put us at 22nd place in the world on this chart:<br /><br /><br />https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/11/03/in-past-elections-u-s-trailed-most-developed-countries-in-voter-turnout/<br /><br />Part of reason we lag behind is the fact that some countries made voting compulsory, even going as far as levying fines for not voting. Some countries give you the day off to vote. <br /><br />Whatever the case may be, we have to do better than roughly 62% turnout.Brian Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06485075283223444305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90173132700577609912020-11-10T02:46:59.068-08:002020-11-10T02:46:59.068-08:00Watching from afar, here in Melbourne, Australia, ...Watching from afar, here in Melbourne, Australia, it seems like anything that ever happens in the USA is just a fictional TV show. If I was entitled to vote I'd be campaigning for Ken Levine to script it from here on in. Glad that you decided to fire the lead actor. His character was too implausible; the charm of Frank Burns, the denial of Cliff Claven, the acceptance of Archie Bunker, the trustworthiness of J.R.Ewing and the vindictiveness of Lex Luthor. I do hope that the ex-super-villain in-chief & his army of obedient zombies gets written out of the story much sooner than later.<br />BTW, congratulations Ken & all your readers on surviving the craziness of your fellow countrymen. I'm soooo glad I'm not American. Not that our politicians are any better.forgetful phil.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82380759652950021502020-11-09T22:51:02.157-08:002020-11-09T22:51:02.157-08:00Mike B: Chuck Todd is always awful. He's been ...Mike B: Chuck Todd is always awful. He's been a joke for years and should have gotten the boot years ago.<br /><br />Unknown: Cunningham's poll numbers didn't move because of the "scandal." He lost for the same reason the scandal-free McGrath, Hegar, Harrison, Gideon and Greenfield lost: Republicans split their ballots, voting for down-ballot candidates but not Trump.mike schlesingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15824197221204862706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90620458059268340282020-11-09T20:22:27.231-08:002020-11-09T20:22:27.231-08:00Jim, I would like to also express gratitude for yo...Jim, I would like to also express gratitude for your long day as an inspector...especially since that asshat Newt Gingrich wants the Justice Department to throw the lot of you in jail.RF Burnsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-78217554463174042772020-11-09T19:00:30.210-08:002020-11-09T19:00:30.210-08:00As for tRump making a comeback in 2024, it's j...As for tRump making a comeback in 2024, it's just another of the sleazy grifts he's been running his entire life.<br /><br />He'll be 78 then, he's morbidly obese, and whatever of a brain he may once have had (that's highly debatable) is already Swiss cheese.Viscount Manzeppinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74181538228770663762020-11-09T18:08:28.307-08:002020-11-09T18:08:28.307-08:00I kept thinking of Mel Brooks' High Anxiety as...I kept thinking of Mel Brooks' High Anxiety as I watched the election returns. I loved Steve Kornicki and his enthusiasm. James Carville and Michael Steel reassured me that Biden would prevail. The next act will be in Georgia when the senatorial run-offs can determine the control of the Senate. I'm incensed at Cal Cunningham for his stupidity in having a sexual encounter which probably cost him his victory over Thom Tillis in North Carolina. As I read your blog, I felt that you eloquently voiced my nervousness about the outcome of the election. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03836519852374617348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23150778715765825472020-11-09T17:59:39.850-08:002020-11-09T17:59:39.850-08:00ABC News was an also-ran in the halcyon days of Cr...ABC News was an also-ran in the halcyon days of Cronkite and Huntley-Brinkley, but the third-place network did have first-rate talent among its staff, even if some weren't household names--John Daly, Bill Lawrence, John Scali, Bob Clark, Lisa Howard, Ron Cochran, Howard K. Smith, Piers Anderton, Bob Young, and Frank Reynolds, to name a few.Kevin FitzMauricenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6474183651914549032020-11-09T17:30:19.164-08:002020-11-09T17:30:19.164-08:00I deliberately watched Fox News because:
a) I wan...I deliberately watched Fox News because:<br /><br />a) I wanted to see how they'd react to the poll expected Republican wipe off.<br /><br />b) I don't want to be in the overly optimistic Democratic cheersquad, if it does start going Trump's way.<br /><br />Fox News had none of the stomach churning over-the-top theatrics mentioned in your blog, or as seen in other evening highlights.<br /><br />It was more middle of the road, and willing to take on Trump by calling Arizona, and sticking by their decision even though it raised ire at the Orange House.<br /><br />The moderator was Brett Baier who, like Sheperd Smith, could be the middle of the road moderator on any network.<br /><br />Chris Wallace, although Republican, calls things honestly if it goes the other way, while Martha MacCallum was reserved.<br /><br />Dana Perino was what you'd expect on Fox News, while Britt Hume tried to vainly throw excuses at times to Trump supporters. But they were not overbearing.<br /><br />I was very happy with the professionalism of the predominantly non-partisan Fox News presentation.<br /><br />And just to be clear, I want baby Donald on a one way ticket to Sing Sing. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-34656270738806731482020-11-09T17:15:01.844-08:002020-11-09T17:15:01.844-08:00Jim S
Thank you for all the hard work you did as ...Jim S<br /><br />Thank you for all the hard work you did as an election inspector. The thing that bothers me the most about all these bogus claims of election fraud is that it is flat out saying that all of the dedicated people who worked the polling places and tirelessly counted the votes are all crooked cheats. It makes me sick to my stomach. I for one appreciate all for your work in making this a fair election.Greempanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18265520786169739512020-11-09T17:05:35.873-08:002020-11-09T17:05:35.873-08:00Troy, didn't socialist Eugene V. Debs run for ...Troy, didn't socialist Eugene V. Debs run for president while in prison? (Incidentally, the New York radio station WEVD was named for Debs.)VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70355673990978191542020-11-09T16:41:12.647-08:002020-11-09T16:41:12.647-08:00One word for Steve Kornacki: analytics. Maybe two:...One word for Steve Kornacki: analytics. Maybe two: non-partisan.<br /><br />Remember when anchors used to have some stature and carry some weight? When a company has an entire network devoted to politics year-round, Lester Holt was just a bumper going to and from commercials--and Holt is my favorite anchorman.<br /><br />You were banging on CBS, which I didn't watch, but what is with TV producers? Is there such pressure to do something new they'll go with anything even if it's bad? NBC shooting up the Rockefeller Center building from near the base, trying to make their HQ look like The Citadel and pasting on lettering to be reading sideways from bottom to top of the screen. CNN shooting the magic board at an angle; they gave you a better shot of the Atlantic Ocean than the Eastern states. MSNBC at least gave the differences in big clear numbers. CNN buried them in type so small I didn't even know they were on the screen; I thought Wolf Blitzer and King were really good at doing math in their head. They all could add a screen of votes to be counted and percentage needed for the trailer to catch up, eg Biden is behind by 20 with 100 to count, must get 60% of uncounted to pull even.<br /><br />I didn't think of it until Friday and I wish it had occurred to me earlier. I tuned in Fox News, looking for some real entertainment. Sadly, their news coverage when I was watching was actually fairly decent and honest. The opinion shows were as expected. I wonder what reporting was like Tuesday night.<br /><br />-30-<br /><br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23596607371199281602020-11-09T16:29:00.189-08:002020-11-09T16:29:00.189-08:00The Grifter-in-Chief is on borrowed time, but make...The Grifter-in-Chief is on borrowed time, but make no bones about it, he won't leave until he's done more corrosive damage to your democracy and nation. Being safely across the 49th parallel still doesn't leave me feeling comforted. That there were supposedly 70-million morons who thought kids in cages, endless campaigns based on self-promotion and low-blow insults, and sniping dangerous messages to his cult was worth a second go-round remains a scary harbinger.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05868079188564018463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75230757206365325222020-11-09T16:11:51.031-08:002020-11-09T16:11:51.031-08:00Trump will have a hard time returning in 2024. I d...Trump will have a hard time returning in 2024. I don't think federal prisoners can run for office. Troy McClurenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66642829936194733642020-11-09T15:31:42.489-08:002020-11-09T15:31:42.489-08:00I was listening in the car to an interview with th...I was listening in the car to an interview with the brilliant Aaron Sorkin on KPCC. He commented (I'm paraphrasing) "when future programs are written about the last four years, he expects Trump to be only a background presence because you can't have a character without a conscience." It was so profound a statement, I almost had to pull over to the curb to let it sink in. I can't wait to see what he might produce if he chooses, in his meticulous and incomparable fashion, to explore the dynamics and relationships in Trump's circle. Lorimartiannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13709776410945824802020-11-09T14:19:39.865-08:002020-11-09T14:19:39.865-08:00Janice
Trump can hold all the rallies he wants an...Janice<br /><br />Trump can hold all the rallies he wants and refuse to concede. It doesn't matter. There is no requirement in law that the loser has to concede. <br /><br />The lawsuits are nothing but one final grift. It was reported that the Trump camp are soliciting donations from their thick supporters for his "legal fund." In the small print of their emails it says 60% of the donations will go on paying the campaign debts. It's hilarious that even now he's making money off his moronic supporters. These are the same idiots who donated millions to Steve Bannon's phony wall fundraiser which he then spent on living a lavish lifestyle and buying a yacht.Troy McClurenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-67430203115506456442020-11-09T14:12:47.597-08:002020-11-09T14:12:47.597-08:00Among the broadcast networks ABC actually had the ...Among the broadcast networks ABC actually had the best coverage. George Stephanopoulos was calm, rational and knowledgeable.<br /> <br />NBC has the worst presentation. I don't know what was wrong with "Meet the Press" host, Chuck Todd, but he was awful. You couldn't blame exhaustion because he started the evening that way. Was he high? Was it COVID "brain fog?" I can't believe it was insecurity. Although, taking a few improv classes probably wouldn't hurt him.<br /><br />The fact that Gayle King's yellow dress was the highlight of the night shows what kind of coverage CBS had.<br /><br />And I know how many of you HATE FOX news, but their coverage was better than you might think. As far as bias goes they did call Arizona for Biden before the other three networks.<br /><br />I sincerely hope that Joe Biden is a good president and represents not just those that voted for him. Because if he screws up Trump will be back in 2024.<br /><br />M.B.Mike Bloodworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04755626259169126800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28372171043353937282020-11-09T13:47:40.346-08:002020-11-09T13:47:40.346-08:00I watched zero coverage. I couldn't. I went to...I watched zero coverage. I couldn't. I went to bed, woke up and asked my husband if trump won. He said no, I think he is losing. With that I rose out of bed and had a few anxious days until saturday at noon when they called it. I was so happy I cried, had a few drinks and went to bed feeling such a relief, a weight of 4 years lifted. It ended when I read on Sunday trump was going back to rallies and his "person" not signing off on the Biden transition of power. This man is dangerous. All of us who knew what trump was all about decades ago warned 4 years ago that he wanted to be president for life. He talked openly about it. Everyone laughed. I did not. His aim is to remain in office forever or hand it over to another republican or one of his spawn. Another comment on here was about missing Cronkite. Can you imagine trump calling Walter Fake News or mean tweeting about him? Actually, I can. He has zero respect for anyone. I live near Atlantic City. Hopefully, he will be gone 1/21/21. On 1/29/21 his last casino will be imploded. I plan to be there to cheer it on and use it as a substitute for his failed, nightmare of a presidency. Janice B.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-63815327211340759022020-11-09T13:08:21.724-08:002020-11-09T13:08:21.724-08:00You shouldn't have worried Ken. Joe was just B...You shouldn't have worried Ken. Joe was just Biden his time. (Mike drops).<br /><br />This year I decided to volunteer to be an "election inspector" in my home town in Michigan. It was a fascinating process. One benefit was that we had to operate in a bubble. No campaign literature involved. No news allowed. (Though some of my fellow inspectors checked their smart phones during lulls the way a closet drinker sneaks a swig.<br /><br />We had to be at the polling site by 6 a.m. for a 7 a.m. opening. There were people waiting outside. During the day, there were very few times that there weren't at least a couple of voters at the precinct, but between 7:30 and 8 p.m. we had only two voters. For the old timers that was unheard of. A fellow inspector in her mid-30s said that it made sense. All her friends voted via mail, so when Trump had twice the voters that Biden did after we tallied all the votes. She said that when her the votes of younger mail-in voters were tallied, we should expect to see a shift, and that's what happened.<br /><br />I was told that my city had more mail-in votes in 2020 than all votes cast in 2016, and we processed about 825 people in person during the day.<br /><br />I also was offended when certain politicians were saying the election was being stolen in Michigan. We were all volunteers who took our job seriously for three reasons. First, a job well done is its own reward. Second, we all really believed in making sure people got to vote for the candidate of their choice, whether Biden, Trump or Mickey Mouse. (He got two write-in votes.) Third, we really didn't want any mistakes, because we couldn't leave the precinct until all the votes tallied with all the paperwork voters fill out. We didn't want to stay longer and we didn't want to somehow get caught up in some sort of legal mess. <br /><br />Saying that hard-working volunteers such as my colleagues were part of a conspiracy really offends me. We really worked hard to make the voting experience efficient, quick and fair and honest.<br /><br />As it happened, we were able to officially exit the precinct at about 9 p.m. That was a 15-hour day, so when I got home I checked my emails and went to bed.<br /><br />When I saw how close the in-person voting was in states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Georgie, I knew Biden would win.<br /><br />I like voting in person. It has a feeling of imporantance, so working at a precinct on election day meant I had to vote by mail. That's irony for you.Jim Snoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-34815977840172919872020-11-09T12:10:03.913-08:002020-11-09T12:10:03.913-08:00Trump's press conference held between the sex ...Trump's press conference held between the sex shop and crematorium was actually quite appropriate considering that 75,000,000 votes had just told him to fuck off and die.<br /><br />(Sorry for the language but the joke doesn't work well without it.)Elfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10374380298273456994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69271536977573548272020-11-09T12:05:06.770-08:002020-11-09T12:05:06.770-08:00If Halloween fell after the election (and there wa...If Halloween fell after the election (and there was no pandemic) you know that the year's big costume would be the Kornacki. White shirt, semi-tousled hair, striped tie, slacks and a touch screen with a map of the electoral college anchored over his right shoulder. Sure, someone may try it next year but by then there'll have been many more subsequent flavors of the month and his moment in the sun will have passed.<br /><br />Also, I'll second that Brian Williams was leading the MSNBC coverage and did a great job. His most humorous moments on MSNBC came way back when he'd begun on MSNBC and his show was back to back with Keith Olbermann. They're hand the show off from one to the other, but that mid-show banter was always a matter of who could crack each other up the most.<br /><br />I just wish NBC would spend a few bucks to get Carville a better webcam and/or internet connection.Elfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10374380298273456994noreply@blogger.com